Through The Times
by By Flit
Summary: We all go through bad times. But, through the times, strangers can come together with one understanding, they're not alone. Presenting: Sakura, Temari, Tenten, Ino & The growing of their friendships.


ByFlit: It's been awhile since I've written a story, so here goes!

Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto because I'm not brilliant enough to come up with the idea…Sadly.

Through The Times

Chapter One: We

We all go through bad times. People look at each other every day, but no one ever really sees the pain and sorrow that exists unless they're close to that person. It's like an invisible barrier has formed between you and everyone else. They see you through a foggy mirror while you are blinded on the other side. They see you for just another person in their life that holds little significance except for the occasional borrowing of pencils and paper. They are strangers.

But, through the times, strangers can come together with one understanding… They're not alone.

.Sakura.

"Honey, you've been staring at your cereal for over thirty minutes," her mother chided snapping Sakura out of her daze.

She looked down at her soggy rainbow glob that had once been Froot Loops. Sighing, she pressed her hands against the table and scooted her chair back to stand up. Getting up, she grasped the ceramic bowl in her hand and shuffled her bare feet over to the sink and began rinsing her bowl out before placing it in the dishwasher that reeked of rotten eggs and week old tacos. Closing the dishwasher with a scrunched-up face, she turned to see her mother looking at her with a worn face. Gulping, Sakura stared back at her.

"Sakura— ," her mother began, but was cut short when Sakura raised her hand.

"Before you say it, I can't visit him," Sakura said quietly moving her outstretched hand to move a short pink lock behind her ear.

"Honey, you keep saying that, but he's your father!"

"I can't, Mom," Sakura glared down at the floor, " he can't expect me to after he left like he did."

"Sakura, sweetie, please," her mother took a step toward her, " Forgive him, Love."

Sakura looked up at her mom. Her mother had the glistening look in her eyes. The look that meant the tears were going to flow soon. Shaking her head, Sakura padded past her mother, but not before hearing her mother's words.

"He's dying, Sakura. Can't you see?"

Sakura stopped next to the banister with one hand gripped on it. She looked sideways and glanced to see her mother looking at her with her hands clasped together in front of her apron. Sakura turned her head to face the direction she was going in.

"Maybe I don't want to see," she said quietly before continuing to her destination.

.Temari.

"No."

"What do you mean "_No_"? Temari raised her voice and narrowed her eyes.

"You are not one of …of _them_," her father hissed glaring down at the sandy haired girl.

"Does it really kill you that much to even say the word, Dad?" Temari asked flinging her arms out.

A slap reverberated around the room as dead silence followed it. Temari put her hand to her cheek that burned a deep red. She stared at her father who still had his hand raised in a menacing way as if to dare her to defy him again. She raised her chin.

" Does it bother you to know I'm _gay_?"

Another slap followed, but she bared on.

" That I'm a_ homosexual_?"

Again, a slap was made, but with enough force to knock her to the ground. Her father loomed over her. His face was a mask of pure fury, and his fists were clenched so tight that they were turning white.

"You insolent child! You dare speak such heathen words in my house?" he roared, "You are no daughter of mine when you speak such filth!"

She stared at him, " I finally tell you who I really am, and you automatically shut me down. I speak of what is the truth, and you want to hear nothing of it because to you, that doesn't make me the daughter you wanted. You can't change who I really am, Dad, even if you don't like it!"

Growling, he whirled around and stomped off leaving Temari to herself. Huffing, she slowly stood up. She touched her cheek, but winced when her fingers made contact with the bruising skin. She would need to ice it to bring down the swelling soon to come.

"Why did you tell him?"

Temari looked warily at the door to see her brothers looking at her with a hint of concern in their eyes. She laughed and looked out the window of her room to see the sun was shining through making a shadow on the wooden floor of where she stood.

"I don't know why I told him, but I was tired of him ragging on me about everything," Temari replied running a hand through her bangs as her thoughts bombarded her brain.

"What are we going to do?" her youngest brother asked from the left of the purpled marked brother. His teal eyes bore into her. He would, of course, ask the question the other two were pondering.

Temari looked at him for a moment, but then shrugged as she walked over to her closet. She opened the closet to stare into the floor length mirror that hung inside. She had a huge handprint on her face that marked the anger of her father. She looked at her siblings through the mirror and smiled slightly at them. She laughed again softly and closed the closet doors, but kept her hands on the knobs as if holding on to them would keep her feet firmly planted on the ground.

"I guess I'll just have to leave," she stated simply.

"Leave?" her brothers glanced at each other before looking back at their sister who still hadn't faced them.

Temari stared sadly at the floor, "Yeah, leave."

.Tenten.

"Mama, Papa, I need to tell you something," Tenten stood in front of her parents gripping the end of her t-shirt with both hands.

Her father looked at her mother who had tears in her eyes, " What is it, Tenten?"

"I," Tenten struggled to hold her emotions in check so she cleared her throat, " I need to go to the doctors."

Her mother's eyes got huge, "Oh, God."

Tenten flinched as she looked away from her parents, " I had sex with him… I should've told you the other d-day when everything was brought up and and with his parents having come over… I should've told you, b-but so much was being said that I couldn't tell you."

"Oh, Tenten," her father put his face in his hands as her mother started crying loudly from her perch in her armchair.

She bit her lip as she held her head down. She wringed her hands more on her shirt as she waited for her father to say something, but no words came. She felt her heart clench at her mother's next set of words.

"Since when did you go whoring around with him?" she screeched.

"Honey!"

Tenten snapped her head up at her mother, "Whoring around? You think I was whoring around with him? I was in love with him, Mother! He lied to me about everything and fed me with lies, and yet, you have the nerve to tell me that I'm a whore? He told me that he loved me and that we were going to get married, I told you this all yesterday."

"Just because you told me this doesn't change anything about you having sex with the sick-o! I knew something was wrong with you and him!"

"If you knew something was wrong with my relationship, then why didn't you say anything?" Tenten screamed as tears ran down her face, "Why didn't you tell me that he wasn't who he said he was? You know why? Because you didn't know! You didn't know what he was doing to me until it was too late. No one knew, and I was too gullible to pay attention."

"Tenten," her father broke in looking at her, " you wouldn't have listened to anyone even if we did tell you how we felt about him. Like you said, you were too in love with him to listen to us or your friends."

"And now, you're pregnant," her mother broke in coldly.

"I don't know if I am or not," Tenten murmured, " I haven't had my period in a couple of months and… It didn't occur to me until now that I should check."

"You know," her mother glared at her, " it just keeps surprising me how stupid our only child can be. Tell me this, did you even use a condom?"

Silence fell between them as her parents focused their attention on her. Tenten's eyes filled with more tears as she began to shake under their scrutiny.

"Answer her, Tenten," her father said softly.

"No. No, we never used a condom," Tenten whispered hoarsely as her tears made wet marks on the carpet beneath her feet.

Her mother got up slowly and walked over to her daughter. She lifted her daughter's chin roughly.

"You have brought disgrace to your family," her mother said plainly, " and this baby will be your punishment."

She let go of her chin and stormed off in a whirl of robes to her bedroom. With a slam of the door, Tenten stood there feeling battered.

"She will come around, Daughter," her father stood and placed a hand on her shoulder, "she's just angry with herself for not doing anything…"

"Papa, what am I going to do?" She sobbed, "I don't know how to care for a baby! I can't even take care of myself!"

Her father embraced her and let her cry into his silk robe, "Let's take this one step at a time, Tenten. We'll get you a doctor's appointment and see then what our next move is."

"I'm scared, Papa," she wailed.

"Me too, Daughter… Me too."

.Ino. 

"Welcome to your new home, Granddaughter!" an elderly woman spread her arms wide towards a yellow painted building with a sign reading "Yamanaka's Shop".

Ino stared at the building blankly as she stood next her grandmother holding one of her suitcases in her hands. After being in a car for several hours, she didn't really have much of her grandmother's enthusiasm over living with her. She sighed loudly, and walked ahead into the building.

"Ah!" her grandmother hustled after her into the shop to see Ino staring at all the different flower arrangements in the room, "Ino, you shouldn't rush in like that! You…what are you staring at?"

"Tell me, why is it that my entire family is so damn obsessed with flowers?" Ino shouted angrily.

"Oh, Sweetie…I didn't think this would remind you of your parents," her grandmother looked guiltily at the ground.

"Well, it doesn't matter," Ino snapped turning away from the brightly colored flowers, "I mean, they're dead so looking at flowers doesn't matter."

"Ino, it's understandable for you to feel this way," her grandmother said gently, "They just died a few weeks ago…"

"Yes, but time to move on, Grandma," Ino said turning to look over at her grandmother through her blond bangs on the side of her face, " I'm going to go unpack."

"O-oh! Right, dear. If you need help, just call me," her grandmother hollered up the stairs as Ino walked into the last room on the left. Ino waved a hand to show that she heard before closing the door.

Her grandmother sighed heavily and looked at the flowers, "That poor girl…"

Back in her new room, Ino dully looked around and noted the floral pattern quilt on the twin-sized bed and the matching floral wallpaper that hugged the light yellow painted walls.

"Terrific," she muttered, hefting the suitcase on the bed. She opened it and began stocking up her dresser by her bed with socks and underwear. She stopped momentarily when she came across a picture frame. The picture was of her, her father and her mother cheesing it up at a firework festival last year. Her hands shook slightly, but taking a deep breath she slipped the picture into the top drawer and shut it.

"… This is going to be harder than I thought."


End file.
